Author: Christian Fernandez

By Maria Raciti.“I’m here live. I’m not a cat.”Coming home from a particularly grueling day at law school (but I mean, what else is new?), I headed to bed with a tub of ice cream in tow. I was all set to binge The Office for the tenth time in a row when I received a text from a friend asking, “Have you seen the cat lawyer video?! .” Not knowing what she was talking about, but liking the sound of it, I googled “cat lawyer video.” Sure enough, a video with over a million views popped up. Much to my delight, the video was everything I hoped for and more. If you have not seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it right now. I myself have watched…

By Madison Leake.Arizona, once the state with some of the harshest marijuana laws in the country, has now legalized marijuana for recreational use. While the proposition passed after the November 2020 election, it was not until recently (the end of January) that the Department of Health Services approved licenses for facilities to begin selling recreational marijuana in the state. This dramatic shift in Arizona law is bound to impact the state’s entire criminal justice system, including prior convictions. Now that Arizonians can go buy marijuana almost as easily as liquor, what does this mean for those with prior marijuana convictions?What is Proposition 207?Proposition 207 dramatically changed marijuana policies in Arizona. Now, possession of up to an ounce and use of marijuana is legal for adults over twenty-one. Further, residents can…

By Tessa Patterson.Self-driving cars have always been a staple of the future. In this Jetson-esque paradise, cars would talk, deliver riders safely to their destinations, and, ideally, fly. Although cars have yet to hit the sky, Arizona continues to attract companies to its desert streets, positioning itself as one of the most automated-vehicle-friendly states in the nation.This past October, Alphabet’s Waymo took to Phoenix to offer riders a fully driverless experience. Once only available to beta testers, customers in Phoenix can now step into the future and buckle up for an artificial-intelligence-controlled ride. Automated vehicles have sped into other industries too. With Arizona State University rolling out autonomous food-delivery robots in Tempe and Walmart’s recent partnership with self-driving car company Cruise to deliver groceries in Scottsdale, the future for automated…

By Jillian Knox.According to Charlie Day, the noted but fictional bird lawyer in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “bird law in this country [is] not governed by reason.” Over the last four years, the Trump Administration seemed anxious to prove Mr. Day right—reinterpreting a century-old bird law, upending the remarkably consistent interpretation of “every administration (Republican and Democrat) since at least the 1970’s.” Thankfully, the Biden Administration has already taken concrete steps to restore order to bird law in the United States.The Migratory Bird Treaty ActThe Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (“MBTA”) was enacted in response to plummeting bird populations across North America. It currently protects over 1,000 species—nearly all native bird species in the United States, including Arizona’s state bird, the cactus wren. In broad language, the MBTA…

By Andrew Jacobsohn.Amidst the constant barrage of unprecedented and breaking news in the post-2020 election and pre-inauguration season, it was easy to miss a less-notable first: on January 1, 2021, Congress overrode a then-President Trump veto for the first (and only) time of his term. Trump vetoed the bill because it did not include changes to the Communications Decency Act § 230 (“CDA 230”). He claimed CDA 230 unfairly permitted large technology platforms to censor him and other conservative figures. But Trump wasn’t the only one clamoring for change to CDA 230. President Biden and Speaker Pelosi, along with other congressional Democrats, have expressed support for removing or reforming the provision.This bipartisan support indicates that CDA 230 reform (or perhaps even revocation) seems inevitable. But given CDA 230’s immense impact…

By Jacinda Stephens The Democratic National Committee’s Challenges to Arizona Voting Policies In 2016, the Democratic National Committee (“the DNC”) unsuccessfully petitioned for preliminary injunctions to stop Arizona from enforcing two of its voting policies. The first policy involved out-of-precinct voting: under Arizona law, if a voter casts a provisional ballot outside of his or her designated voting area, then it is considered invalid and is not counted. The second policy, created by a “ballot-collection” statute, states that the only people who can collect and submit completed early ballots are the voter, a family member, the U.S. Postal Service, or election officials. The DNC’s argument was that the two policies violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Section 2 prohibits any “qualification or prerequisite to voting or standard, practice,…

By RivaLee FerlandAmidst these challenging and unprecedented times, many individuals have turned toward their faith for guidance. A major component to practicing a religion is attending in-person church services—many of which are held indoors. In an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19, states have imposed restrictions on church services due to the pressing need for proper caution and social distancing measures.In June, for example, New York implemented guidelines for religious services. The restrictions capped attendance for indoor church services to 33% of the building’s occupancy and allowed up to 50 individuals for outdoor church services in Phase 4 regions. Additionally, individuals engaged in singing must stay twelve feet apart, and face coverings are required for those who come within six feet of each other. Taking the restrictions a step…

By Alexandra Eagle.A Rise in Anti-Trans LegislationIn the past year in the United States, state legislatures have proposed and passed a number of laws designed to limit or restrict trans folks’ (and especially trans youths’) access to healthcare and equal participation. More than a dozen state legislatures have sought specifically to limit the rights of trans women and girls to participate on sports teams aligned with their gender identities.Proponents of trans sports bans argue that such bans are necessary to “protect” cisgender women athletes from trans women who, due to their “superior” strength and athletic abilities, would dominate women’s athletics. Opponents of the bans point to emerging understandings of both gender and sex. For example, new social and biological research suggests gender and sex are nondeterminative of physical abilities and…

By Jacob Pierce.  For the first time in 35 years, the United States Supreme Court will hear an antitrust matter involving the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”). On March 31, 2021, the Court is set to hear oral arguments in a case called NCAA v. Alston. This case is significant because it has the potential to settle a landmark issue that has dominated college athletics coverage in the recent past—student-athletes’ right to compensation.  How Did NCAA v. AlstonReach the Court? Prior to reaching the Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the United States District Court’s decision holding the NCAA cannot outright restrict or limit its member institutions from giving student-athletes non-cash benefits for the pursuit of academics. Under this holding, universities would be permitted to give benefits…

By Iris (Yeonjae) Lim.The Trump administration dramatically changed the asylum system during the past four years, and with the new Biden administration, asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border are hoping for a change. More specifically, many people are wondering what Biden’s administration is going to do with the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP) Program, more commonly known as the “Remain in Mexico” Program. Usually, someone who wants to enter the U.S. needs to have the appropriate visa; however, someone seeking asylum may approach the border without one and go through an additional process instead. Asylum seekers go through an interview, and if approved, proceed with the immigration adjudication process. Many of them are often detained during that process and, before the Trump administration, waited in the U.S. during that time period.…